The widening use of ultra-widefield (UWF^™) retinal imaging by ocular health practitioners is prompting researchers to address what appears to be a straightforward question: What’s normal? That is, now that UWF imaging is providing a more complete visualization of the peripheral retina, what is the physical extent of healthy retinal vasculature?

 

It’s not an academic question. On one level, baseline information about the extent and appearance of healthy retinal vasculature is an essential part of clinical practice. But more important, as practitioners use UWF to measure the extent of retinal pathology – for example, in estimating areas of ischemia in patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR) or retinal vein occlusion (RVO) – it’s critical to measure the portion of the retina that is affected. These estimates need to start with accepted measurements for normal, healthy retinal vasculature, one derived from statistically significant population studies and adjusted for any variations in age, sex, or other characteristics.

 

New research is giving first indications of the extent of healthy retinal vasculature as well as important population variations. This work is being enabled by recent advances in UWF image processing which allow optomap^® fa (fluorescein angiography) images to be corrected for peripheral distortion. These new processing algorithms – a part of Optos ProView^™ imaging software – create …

A recent report describes a unique, high-value application of ultra-widefield (UWF^™) retinal imaging in the treatment of Diabetic Macular Edema, or DME.

 

 

There are over 400 million people¹ worldwide afflicted with diabetes and the long-term incidence of DME in this population is estimated at twenty to forty percent². UWF imaging is already impacting the diagnosis and treatment of DME as well as Diabetic Retinopathy (DR), which frequently precedes or is associated with DME. Ultra-widefield imaging is unique in that it visualizes a much larger area of the retina (200°, or over 80%) as compared to conventional techniques that may image 45° or less of the retina. By imaging the peripheral retina practitioners and researchers have shown they can more accurately measure the extent of diabetic retinopathy³ as well as better predict the risk of future progression⁴. UWF is also helping public health initiatives by enabling accurate and cost-effective screening for DR⁵.

 

This novel application of UWF imaging supports a relatively new therapy for DME.  While the standards for DME treatment are undergoing intense study⁶, corticosteroids are often prescribed if anti-VEGF medications fail to control the chronic inflammation associated with DME. These corticosteroids are administered by direct injection into the eye, a …

At Optos, delivering breakthroughs in pediatric ocular health is a driving vision. Douglas Anderson founded Optos in 1992 with the express goal of developing an imaging technology that could provide early diagnosis of the kind of retinal detachment that ultimately caused his five-year old son, Leif to lose vision in one of his eyes.

 

 

Now, almost a quarter-century later, UWF™ (ultra-widefield imaging) technology developed by Optos is transforming the way optometrists and ophthalmologists care for their patients. UWF imaging enables faster, more comprehensive routine exams, increases the cost/effectiveness of telehealth programs, improves the scope and accuracy of screening for diabetes and other eye disease, and makes possible new approaches to managing and tracking treatment.  And, if you’re a pediatric ophthalmologist, UWF imaging is making possible new, better approaches to diagnosis and treatment.

 

Practitioners treating infants with ROP (retinopathy of prematurity) report¹ that UWF imaging delivers clinically useful, high-quality post-treatment images while overcoming some of the problematic aspects of traditional imaging technology.  The authors observed that a major advantage of ultra-widefield technology is that images can be obtained without placing the diagnostic instrument in direct contact with the infant’s eyes. This eliminates a potential source of post-operative infections. Non-contact UWF imaging — which is generally faster than traditional digital imaging — also …